Free lockdown yoga for Harehills Leeds

I’ve been running a free, council funded community yoga class at the Compton Centre in Harehills, inner north east Leeds for the for over a year. So, when coronavirus social distancing came in someone in the class suggested we use Facebook to keep it going it seemed a good idea. Moving online might also get more people joining the class after the Covid-19 pandemic was over.

Then we realised how useful a free, online yoga class could be for everyone else who was locked down in the area during a really stressful time. To help us keep going, local councillor Salma Arif kindly agreed to sponsor the class. So, we opened it up to anyone living and working in Harehills, Gipton and surrounding areas. Yoga is about moving the body but it’s also about finding inner calm – it’s been shown to improve people’s health, wellbeing and happiness and to reduce anxiety levels and improve sleep. So, over the weeks of lock down, the weekly classes have been focusing on things that people might be finding difficult – like staying strong and dealing with stress and anxiety.

The classes are all suitable for beginners and all you need is a blanket or towel, a phone or laptop and a bit of floor space. To enjoy a new online class every week, you just need to become a member of the Compton Centre Facebook group then join the Watch Party on Fridays at 4.30pm. The class is then left up online for anyone to do again in their own time during the week. So far there are 50 members of the Compton Centre Facebook group and each class has been accessed hundreds of times.

Hopefully the online Compton Centre
Yoga class has helped a few people cope a bit better during what has been a
difficult time for us all. And maybe some people who have been enjoying yoga
during lock down might carry on into the future.